The Children of Promise (Excerpt)

Summary: Cari Renol is an elderly soothsayer haunted by images of death and war. Soon a chance encounter with a handsome stranger will set the stage for the adventure of her life

Prologue

The faint light of the moon could barely be seen through the thick forest that surrounded a cozy wooden cottage. There, while the rest of the island of Sirius slept, one old woman was being haunted. Not by a ghost or a nightmare, but by a vision. Since the first night she saw it a month ago, it would not let her go.

Every minute her eyes were closed, she was forced to relive the horror of the images she saw. As she tossed and turned in her futile attempt to sleep, the images grew stronger. She hated her gift the most on nights like this. As she rolled out of bed, her mind still racing, she looked at herself in the mirror that stood in the corner of the room. Truly her best days were behind her. It didn't help much that she kept herself poorly, but faint glimmers of her former beauty could be seen if you could look past all the wrinkles. She was an old washed up soothsayer, who no one looked to for guidance on life. But she had to tell someone. Someone must believe her.

But how could someone believe her when she hardly believed what she saw herself. The days of war were well behind the people of this island. Peace had reigned between the clans for 10 generations. Who would believe that the winds of war would stir again? Who would believe that he would step foot back on this plane? As the doubt rose, the vision rose with it. Brother against brother clan versus clan with no winner in sight. Chaos would reign: She had to tell.

Realizing that a faint glimmer of sunlight had begun to peek over the mountain outside her bedroom window, she decided to get ready for the new day. Without much sleep she knew it would be another long day in the town's market. Being an aged soothsayer in most places would guarantee you success. But in Sirius, there was literally one on every corner. There were your usual cheap tricksters with their parlour tricks but most of them; fellow members of the Renol clan were reputable. Most people in town had written her off a long time ago, but she still kept at it; more for the exercise and company than the money.

She began her morning rituals the usual way; a bath, some breakfast for her and for Cliff, a wolf she adopted as a pup. As she turned the key to lock the door, a chill went through her body. A sense of foreboding came over her; as if turning the key had set off a chain of events that she would come to dread. As she turned from the door, she saw a man. He was tall with auburn hair and a scar just below his right eye. He had a pleasant face and wore a tailored black jacket, a sky blue shirt and black slacks. What she noticed more however, was the long hilt of a sword she saw peeking over his head, and a killing intent that no matter how he smiled, he could not hide.

"Good morning ma'am." The gentleman chimed in a bright voice. "Might you be Cari Renol the legendary soothsayer?"

Alex Rushmer:
This was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot Malfoy was always one of the characters that I liked a lot, so I like that a lot of this happens between him and Colette. I read the first couple chapters, and I enjoyed your writing style and am excited to see where you take this story. My com...

Alkira Joan:
I omg I am honestly speechless I couldn't stop cry it's so sad I wish it had a better ending and they would all be happy and the end is their going to be a second book?thanks for the amaZing story xoxox

mullikin902:
Do not start reading this book unless you have enough time to finish it in one sitting, because you will not be able to put it down! Superlative! Addictive! Deliciously wicked characters you can't get enough of. Impatiently waiting for the sequel!

ernbelle:
When I first started this story I was a little unsettled by all of the information that appears in the prologue, and wasn't sure if I would continue. However, I am very glad I did. The plot was very well thought out and really interesting. There were not any page breaks or markers to acknowledge ...

Dru83:
This is the second or third time I've read this one and I just love it. It has just about everything you could ever want packed into one scifi story. It still has some parts that are a little rough in terms of grammar, punctuation, and word usage, but it's still an awesome story. I love how detai...

Hudson:
Your story was fantastic Erin! The Rising Sun was one of the first stories I read on Inkitt, and I have to say I don't regret the three to four days I spent pouring through the story.Probably the biggest strength I see in your writing is your characterisation of Eliana, Oriens, and the rest of th...

Erin Crowley:
The concept here is really strong, but the execution is definitely lacking. Tenses, grammar, etc are all off, with at least one or more errors per 'Page' on my phone. The writing style is almost broken- sentences move into each other awkwardly, and are filled with an excess of "filler words", lik...

Giuliana Cassetta:
My face is full of tears, I never cried like now with a book or even a movie. I loved every single chapter. I truly don't know what to say, I'm out of words and my eyes hurt from crying. Such an bittersweet story, it's so wonderful. One of my favorites for sure. Keep it up!

re8622:
The Last Exodus quickly grabbed my attention. Almost as soon as I started reading the story, I couldn't put it down. I found that the ideas the author put forth were very thought provoking given the turmoil we have seen gradually rise over the last several years. I felt that I could understand th...

Lauren Sanby:
This is an excellent story. Very gripping and keeps your attention throughout. Hoping the author is writing a sequel because I'd love to read more about Rhi and Andreas and find out what else Rhi is able to do with her powers.

maewilde25:
I am so in love with this story!!! captivated me till the very end, there wasn't a dull moment. Didn't particularly enjoy the lay out and some bits of info was missing along with how a 21 year old man amassed so much wealth that needed to be explained other than that and a few spelling errors, th...

Lydia Walters:
I really enjoyed this novel. It gives us a view of what could be if we really tried.Also that there's nothing wrong with loving our LORD and our fellow humans. couldn't wait to get to each new chapter (mission). Thanks, Joe!

ArgyrisMetaxas:
Thrilling story which builds layer ontop of layer. A few mis spellings every few chapters. What I found special was that it took a modern day problem and took it to its logical conclusion and plays this realism with gritting precision. I'm always on edge ready to shout from adrenaline. This is gr...

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